A Game of Us
by time-failed-us
Summary: Chronicling the relationship between Jason and Reyna from when they met to where they are now. Starts pre-HoO. Focusing on Camp Jupiter and the Romans. Other characters will make an appearance throughout this multichap. Jeyna. #7- A Game of Insomnia I.
1. Prologue

Hi! Welcome to my newest fanfic. Hope you guys like it. This is just the prologue, please give it a chance! Jeyna feels will come later. Read and enjoy :)

* * *

 **PROLOGUE**

Reyna woke abruptly from her light slumber. There was something off about the air, but she couldn't put a finger on it. Somehow, she sensed that something was wrong.

All senses now on high alert, she stood slowly from behind the bush she was hiding in. She shouldn't have stopped, Reyna knew. Lupa had drilled the basics of survival in open areas into the twelve-year-old during her training in preparation for the trek to Camp Jupiter. But Reyna couldn't help it—she'd gotten injured from her last fight with a starving and desperate harpy, and really needed some rest before she could go on. She winced. Just thinking about the wound made her leg throb. It was probably inflamed and infected and all gross now.

How much Reyna wished her sister was here with her. Hylla had a way with injuries. Though many of the girls at C.C.'s island had taken a simple first aid course at least once in their lifetimes, Hylla was definitely better than most of them. Including Reyna, unfortunately.

 _Don't think about your sister_ , she chided. _She abandoned you. It's you against the world now. You're on your own._

Blinking to focus back on the present, she stiffened. The weird feeling in the air had increased. Reyna's fingers instinctively reached for the dagger that Lupa had given her. Her pulse calmed a little at the familiar sensation of the cool metal against her palm.

With a start, Reyna suddenly matched the slightly rank odour in the air to one she had encountered before. A single word blasted through her mind, a command to her entire body.

 _Run!_ she braced herself for the pain shooting up her leg just as a huge shadow enveloped the trees.

* * *

"Come on, guys, it'll be fun!" Jason urged, his boyish voice taking on the edge of a whine as he stared at his two best friends imploringly. He gave the pair his best puppy dog eyes, allowing his body to dangle precariously upside down from the top bunk.

The two boys didn't question his dangerous position. They were too busy side-eyeing each other, a silent battle going on that was only evident to Jason from the occasional twitch in their eyebrows. It was quite amusing, really, if one wasn't focused on another matter. And Jason was.

"Pleeeeeeeeease?" Jason begged once more. "I need the _Truly Terrifying and Talented Trio_ together for this. You promised that we were _'thick as thieves'_ and you guys are just taking _'thick'_ to a whole new dimension now." He waved his arms dramatically, causing the bunk to tremble a little.

"Jason, you really have to bring our stupid team name into this?"

"We were five, dude!"

"Yes, because we swore to my dad that we'd be best friends forever! And that means that stupid or not, dangerous or not, you're coming with me 'cos you _got my back_! Or are you getting out of our pact now, Kota, after yesterday when I blasted that guy off your back in training? I literally had your back!"

"That is—"

"And to think I got toilet cleaning duty because of you! But of course being the _honourable_ and legendary friend that I am I didn't complain at all, and look—now you're the one going all mother hen on me and being too chicken to just come with. I guess you guys aren't the friends I thought you were. I guess it's over now. Goodbye, Dakota and Bobby. I'm sorry it had to end this way, but it's you, not me." With a flourish, Jason hauled himself back onto the bunk and sobbed, burying his face in a pillow. He stole a look down to the two sitting on the ground, hoping his Oscar-worthy performance would get them to agree.

After a moment of silence, Dakota and Bobby sighed in tandem.

"I guess we could give it a try…" Before Bobby could finish, Jason had harnessed his recently discovered wind powers and jumped down on them, crashing them all to the floor.

"Let's go!"

* * *

"I still can't believe you made us do this," Dakota muttered under his breath. The trio were getting ready for their unapproved-of adventure. "We're dead meat."

"No," Jason corrected, barely containing his excitement under a façade of seriousness. "The monsters are dead meat, not us."

Bobby fingered the hilt of his gladius nervously. "Kota's right. We can still turn back." The circle of light at the end of the tunnel got closer and closer with every step.

Jason ignored their complaints and surged forward, gladius in hand. "Those monsters are no match for us! We'll bring back the head of a hydra or two and the camp will forever hail us as heroes!"

"Uhm, hydras have more than one head," Dakota panted. "They grow more when you cut one off!"

"Never mind!" Jason yelled back, undeterred. The three burst through the tunnel. There were no guards in their way—Jason had made sure to take this shift so that his plan would be perfect.

"Hear anything, see anything, smell anything, just give me a shout. One, two, three, break!"

Bobby and Dakota ran off together hand in hand to the left and Jason headed to the right alone.

* * *

" _Dioses!_ " Jason halted, straining to hear the source of the voice. It sounded close by, behind a stretch of woods to his right. He immediately set off in that direction, determined to find out what was happening.

Reyna had given up on running, almost collapsing from the intense pain in her right leg. She swore loudly in her native Spanish. Stopping and turning around, she decided that she was more likely to survive if she didn't run and instead fought the damned hellhound. Why did it have to be so big?

But she was small and agile and quick, so there must be a way.

Hiding behind a tree, Reyna waited for the hellhound to realise that she was gone. It sniffed the air, swinging its massive head to and fro. When it was facing away from her, she sprang.

Her dagger embedded itself into the back of the hellhound's thick neck. With some effort, she tugged it, now dripping with blood, back out for her next attack. The hound growled. Blood spurted like a fountain out of the deep wound, spattering Reyna's hair and arms. She paid no heed to this.

With another strong kick, she stabbed the hound in the side. It swerved around, thrashing about. Reyna's grip was strong, but she was thrown harshly to the ground. Pain shot up her spine, clouding her vision. Reyna didn't stay down, though. She hefted herself back to her feet. Running under the hound's hulking and bleeding body, she sliced a huge gash into its stomach, crawling out as quickly as she could when the hound howled in agony and attempted to squash her by sitting down.

She took this opportunity to slice its back paw off, but realised too late that now she'd given away her position. Growling with menace, the hound once again rose to its feet—now three instead of four thanks to Reyna—and turned with surprising speed. Reyna was lost for ideas now as the hound stared down at her. She gripped the hilt of her dagger, unwilling to back down. She'd die with honour, not give up.

Jason spotted it. The hellhound was huge and stank of rotten meat. The irony tang of blood reached Jason's nose. _Oh no_ , he thought. _It's eaten someone._

He shot into the sky and plummeted down, gladius pointed towards the hound as he hurtled through the air like a meteor. He was aiming for its back. With a satisfying crunch, his gladius sank into the hound's spine, crushing it. Jason landed gracefully on its bloody and wounded back, trying to wrench out the sword.

It was stuck. He panicked. Twisting and turning it didn't work. Just when Jason thought it was starting to come free, the ground gave out under him.

His shoes slipped on the wet and matted fur on the hound's back. He fell without a chance to harness the wind to lift himself back up.

"Agh!" he mumbled, getting a faceful of grass and undoubtedly many a bruise.

Meanwhile, Reyna was desperately fending off the hound's massive head. Her dagger sliced and cut up its muzzle, but nothing deterred it. It opened its huge mouth, and Reyna saw its razor-sharp rows, _rows_ of glimmering, bloodied teeth…

When something dropped through the air and caused the hellhound to pause.

Everything seemed to slow down for a few seconds. The something landed on the hound's back, then fell off and slammed into the ground. The hound looked away from Reyna and focused on the bundle in the grass.

The bundle moved. Reyna caught a glimpse of blond hair.

It was enough for her to hurl her dagger—her only weapon—straight through the monster's side and into its heart (or at least into where its heart should be placed).

Jason lifted his head, hoping for the worst, ready to run for his life.

Reyna thought the hound was more distracted than it actually was.

Something sharp sank into her arm. A shower of dust hit her body. And the whole world went black.

* * *

 **AN:** So that's the first chapter/prologue! Hope you liked it. I'm planning to work on this throughout the summer. Ultimately, of course, it will be Jeyna. Or will it? Not sure yet. ;) I've got a lot mapped out right now. Please read and REVIEW and follow! I haven't read the PJO or HoO books for a while, so tell me if something's not quite right. Comments are really appreciated!

time-failed-us (just like it failed Jeyna) :P


	2. A Game of Beginnings

Here's the next chapter! I've decided to style it so the name of each chapter is "A Game of ...". Enjoy!

* * *

 **A Game of Beginnings**

 _I don't know where I am_

Jason dared to lift his head a few inches off the ground. It was throbbing, and he clenched his teeth to resist grabbing his gladius and chopping it off for all the pain it was causing him.

Wait… where was his gladius?

His thoughts turned to frenzied panic as his nimble fingers fumbled for the familiar hilt. It wasn't there. He thought hard. And it hit him, just when the dust did.

Forcing himself off the ground, he blinked and looked around. The crazy huge hellhound he was fighting had disappeared, leaving behind a lot of yellow dust. It was dead. But he wasn't the one who killed it.

In a flash, everything came back to him, having momentarily been wiped by his head slamming into the ground. _Holy Pluto!_ There'd been someone back there who'd killed the monster and saved his little _podex_ from certain death. He sniffed the air. The sharp tang of blood hung in the mist of impending night. The monster was gone.

Turning, Jason found his gladius in the grass, surrounded by more monster dust. Close by, a glimmer of metal caught his eye—moving closer, he noticed that it was a dagger. It was intricately designed and forged. The hilt was silver metal, with a golden eagle head gleaming on the end. The grip was fashioned to look like vines snaking up towards the eagle. Jason noticed that there wasn't any leather on the grip, which meant it didn't come from Camp Jupiter or from Lupa. The blade was double edged and so sharp it could cut paper.

It was beautiful. Would've been more so, in fact, if it wasn't practically coated in a layer of blood.

Jason's eyes widened. No one left their weapons behind, even after a fight. The person who saved him must still be around! He frantically looked around his person for any sign. Then he saw it—a lump of cloth, dyed red from blood (from who or what, Jason didn't know) and ripped beyond belief.

He rushed to the person's side and brushed the hair from the person's face. Jason was mildly surprised that it was a girl. She looked about his age, perhaps a little older? There were a few shallow lines on her face that shouldn't have been there that made her look more mature.

She was in a state of utter mess. Her face was scraped and bloodied, as were her arms and legs that protruded from the ripped, dirtied tunic she was wearing. Her olive skin was smooth and tan and her features were sharp and she was kind of pretty, Jason admitted. But she was heavily bleeding. A gash on her forehead slowly leaked blood into her long, black, braided hair, a deep scratch on her leg was obviously infected and swollen, and worst of all—Jason gasped as his eyes took in this one—she had gotten bitten.

His scrambled mind managed to salvage a bit of information. Hellhound bites were poisonous.

Muttering Latin curses under his breath, Jason fastened his gladius and the dagger to his belt. Ignoring his fatigue and pain, he gathered the girl into his arms, taking care to support her body. She was surprisingly light. Calling upon the winds, Jason carefully lifted them off the ground by barely half a metre and sailed them back to camp.

* * *

Reyna groaned a little as she surfaced back to consciousness. Her whole body seemed to be throbbing all at once, and there was a sharp pain in her arm. At least it wasn't her sword arm. Her mind, still foggy, barely managed to register anything apart from the pain. She tried to open her eyes to seek out her surroundings, but they seemed sewed shut and Reyna wasn't about to cause her weary self any more… well, pain.

There was something else she felt, though. Warmth. Her right hand seemed to be encased in warmth, and the right part of her body was tingling. The hairs on her neck stood up as a soft whoosh of warm air blew past it. Reyna welcomed any kind of warmth—she was cold despite the blanket that covered her.

Wait, what? There weren't any blankets in the woods…

Suddenly, faint voices interrupted her train of thought. A deep male voice, in the distance, said, "It's been a long time, Grace. You should let her rest now."

"Just a while longer, please… sir. I promise I won't disturb her or touch anything." This voice was much closer to Reyna's ear. It was younger, not as deep, and sounded a little desperate. She wanted to laugh when he said 'sir', as if it pained him, but couldn't. Instead, she listened on.

Another voice broke into the conversation. "C'mon man, we'll be late for dinner. It's Taco Tuesday! And you _know_ I'm never missing that for anything in the world." Reyna almost snorted at the boy's excited tone.

"No," the voice next to her said with finality. "I'm staying here until she wakes up."

"You've been here for ages. Seriously, you're here in the mornings, in lunch, and after training up until the infirmary closes to visitors. I swear, the reason she wakes up is gonna be because you stink." Reyna smelled the air for confirmation—no, the person didn't smell bad. He smelled like pine and fresh, natural air. It was… refreshing.

"Hey! I showered before coming, okay? And if it makes her wake up then good. It's been a while. I can't leave her, Kota. I need to thank her for saving my life and almost dying because of it. I need to tell her I'm sorry she got into monster trouble and that I probably messed it up and I'm just a stupid careless klutz and—"

"I'm hungry, Grace. I get it. Want me to grab you something?"

The person next to her sighed, but answered, "A taco. Make that two. With extra salsa and two cups of juice. Thanks, Kota. What would I do without you?"

"Nothing. Your life would be straight-up boring." Footsteps announced that the other guy was leaving. Now it was just her and whoever was sitting next to her.

The chair scraped the floor. The warmth in her hand shifted and slid away. Reyna would never admit it, but she missed it.

"Please wake up," the voice whispered, sounding tired and defeated. "I can't believe I did this to you. I'm sorry. I- I wish there was something I could do."

Hearing this, Reyna forced her eyes open out of sheer curiosity. Nothing the people had said had tipped her off on where they were, except that there was a cafeteria close by, presumably.

* * *

The first thing she saw was blond hair and eyes as clear blue as the sky on a cloudless day. Seeing her eyes slowly open, Jason immediately sat up, all attention focused on the mysterious girl who had saved his life. He grinned. Even covered with bandages, she really was quite a sight.

"Hi," he greeted eagerly. The girl blinked at him. He frowned a little, but was still too excited about her finally waking up to notice.

"I'm Jason. Jason Grace." He offered her his hand, but she didn't take it.

Reyna didn't really know what to do. Who was this guy? Could he be trusted? Scratch that, no men or boys should be trusted. That much she knew from her experiences on Circe's island and with the horrible, disgusting pirates.

But the real question—where in Pluto was she? Maybe this guy, despite how nice and genuinely concerned for her he looked, had abducted her and was planning to sell her as a… as a…

Mind jumbled with thoughts of what could be, she frantically reached to her side for her dagger. It was gone! She wasn't even wearing her own clothes—she'd been stripped and changed into a tunic of some kind. These people were kidnapping her!

Jason looked at her with wide eyes. She looked frantic and driven beyond worry. Then, he noticed she was trying to find something. Oh! Her dagger! He reached behind his chair and took out the beautifully forged golden dagger. The girl's eyes widened as she recognised it, and her hand reached out to snatch it from his grasp.

"Hey, wait." Jason put the dagger on his lap, out of her reach. The girl's eyes followed her weapon, but she made no move to grab it. "I'm not a bad guy, okay? You're safe here. Trust me."

 _Trust me_. Those two words were ones Reyna had heard many times before, yet the speaker had never proved themselves trustworthy and had always ended up betraying her or leaving her. She would _not_ trust this boy, but until she could get her weapon and run out of here as fast as possible, she'd have to play along.

Jason took this as a good sign. "I'll give you back your weapon. But don't try to kill me, okay? I'm here to help you. You saved my life, and hurt yourself in the process. I owe you. Big time."

Reyna sucked in a breath and plucked the dagger out of his outstretched hands, noticing how his palms faced upwards in a show of peace. She carefully slid the weapon out of its sheath, checking for blemishes. It was in good shape, and someone had even wiped away the blood. It also looked freshly polished. The boy was looking at her with an expectant expression—he'd done this. Perhaps she wouldn't kill him just yet.

"I'm really sorry you're in this position…" he faltered, not knowing her name, but didn't press her on the matter. "It's partially my fault. I shouldn't have jumped in. You totally had that monster, and I made the situation worse."

Reyna was surprised at his genuine apology. He looked like he'd done her this huge wrong, but honestly, she'd been hurt way worse. She moved her sword arm experimentally, then inspected her other injuries. Not too bad, except she'd probably have to keep her left arm immobile. Seriously, that bite had _hurt_ and the stitches were turning a little green. When she was satisfied, she gave the boy an awkward nod in acceptance.

Jason grinned. "So… do you feel better?" He grabbed a flask of nectar and a square of ambrosia from the bedside table. "Here, drink some. It'll make you feel better. And eat this—we would've fed it to you, but you were, well, not really in the position for that." He grinned sheepishly.

She took the nectar and ambrosia, both of which she'd seen before, and took a long drink. It tasted of Hylla's hot tea and honey, soothing her raw throat. The ambrosia was delicious as well, but she couldn't really tell what it tasted like.

Immediately, her limbs felt much more energised. The boy looked a little out of place. She felt like she owed him something in return for his kindness. After all, real bad guys didn't just give back weapons (though she also noticed his sword dangling from his belt).

"Reyna," she suddenly blurted out, thrusting out a hand. Jason straightened and took it eagerly. She looked away. "Where… where is this place?"

"Camp Jupiter," Jason replied. "If you're feeling like it, I can take you on a tour tomorrow. The praetors—leaders of this place—need to see you later, but we've got some time."

Reyna nodded, staring down at her cup. "Where exactly is Camp Jupiter?" she asked, though she knew the answer.

"We're in San Francisco. It's a camp for demigods, as you probably know from Lupa. We've got five cohorts, and together, we're the Twelfth Legion. I'm in the Fifth."

Reyna nodded again.

"Do… do you know your godly parent yet?" Jason asked carefully. Some people were touchy about not being claimed.

"Yes, I'm a daughter of Bellona."

Jason was surprised. They didn't get many children of the minor goddess of war. It was awesome.

Their conversation faltered, and they sat in silence for a while. It was kind of a comfortable silence, though, and Reyna felt much better just sitting. She liked that Jason wasn't really pushy or overly curious about her life.

A few minutes later, Jason stood up. "Reyna," he said, "we should probably go to the praetors now. Joseph will kill me if I'm late."

She nodded and stood, waving off his hand. She kind of liked the way he said her name like he was trying out the way it sounded. No one had called her Reyna in a long time.

* * *

They walked slowly, Jason occasionally pointing out important buildings, gaze flitting between the injured girl and the road. _I did this to her_ , he thought angrily, watching while Reyna limped beside him, shooting him annoyed looks when he tried to help. She was about his height, maybe a little taller, and she'd insisted on fixing herself up to look more presentable before meeting the praetors.

Her long, smooth, dark hair was now swept into a thick single braid, hanging down her right shoulder like a river of obsidian. She'd gladly (at least Jason thought Reyna was glad—that girl was not easy to read at all) accepted the new clothes he'd given her courtesy of Gwen. A purple camp shirt with SPQR on it in golden letters hung on her shoulders, still a little big due to her slender frame, paired with jeans that had to be rolled up to her knees to accommodate the bandage.

Reyna was a little shocked to receive such good care. She wasn't used to people being naturally nice to her. She supposed it was because she was 'one of them' now. Jason offered her help, but she continually turned it down. She didn't need his pity. As they walked, she nodded when he pointed at objects of interest, but she was focusing on not showing the pain jolting up her leg.

Then, Jason stopped. "We're here," he announced.

They were standing in front of a large marble building. It was beautiful and the engravings were detailed and stunning. She couldn't resist a tiny gasp.

Jason chuckled. "Yeah, it amazes me sometimes. You don't see much of it elsewhere, do you?"

Reyna offered him a tiny smile. Maybe he wasn't _so_ bad.

He looked at the large steps, then looked at her leg. "Can… I help you?" he asked, expecting a no. It would be excruciating if she tried to get up there, though.

Reyna recognised this as well and winced. "I guess so," she finally said.

Hiding his shock, Jason gingerly put an arm around her shoulders and the other behind her knees. He hefted her up into his arms easily—he'd done it before. Reyna, on the other hand, was really uncomfortable and really weirded out and couldn't do much apart from trying to make herself as small as possible.

When they were at the doors, Jason put her down gently. He blushed, scratching the back of his neck—a nervous habit of his. Reyna bit her lip.

"…Thanks," Reyna said just as Jason opened his mouth to say "Sorry."

They stared at each other awkwardly, not really knowing what to do, then just nodded and entered the _principia_.

"Jason, it's about time," Joseph, the fifteen-year-old co-praetor said as a greeting. He had light brown hair and dark green eyes. The girl next to him, who looked a little younger, was pretty. Her straight, sandy hair was pulled into a ponytail. She regarded Reyna with curious hazel eyes.

"Greetings, your holiness," Jason teased. The girl rolled her eyes fondly.

"I'm glad you didn't scare our newcomer away, at least," she smiled at Reyna. "I'm Maria, Joseph's co-praetor."

Reyna smiled back, more comfortable now that there was another girl around. It was kind of funny, though—Joseph and Maria. That was a good one.

"Reyna," she simply answered. "Here are my letters of recommendation." Pulling her dagger out of its sheath (Jason flinched, which Reyna's eyes did not miss), she took out two neatly folded pieces of paper. One was from Hylla, before she left for the Amazons, and one was from her late father, who'd written it just in case his daughters wanted to know about the demigod life.

Joseph took them, scanning the words, then nodded. "These are really good letters of recommendation, Reyna. It seems you already know about your mother, but I'm afraid you need to be officially claimed before we can give you your mark. Since you're injured, Jason can show you around camp tomorrow and you will start training as a _probatio_ the day after. Dismissed."

The two twelve-year-olds left the building.

"Can't wait for tomorrow," Jason said, trying to initiate conversation. Reyna was still a little in shock from the events of the day, and nodded dumbly. He sensed that she didn't want to talk.

Leading her back to the infirmary, he discovered two tacos and two Cokes sitting on a table. _Thank you Dakota_ , he thought, grabbing one and munching hungrily.

"I'll see you tomorrow then."

Reyna bit her lip and nodded again.

"Eat your taco, you must be starving." _Great, now he sounded like a mom_. With that, Jason waved and left.

Reyna looked at the taco and thought about the events of the day. _I'll give this a chance_ , she decided. Maybe she was talking about the taco, the camp, or maybe it was a certain blond boy.

* * *

DID'YA LIKE IT? A little Jeyna here... Also the lyric is from Birdy's Just a Game. Might be using this song sometimes throughout this story. :) Thanks for reading! Follow!

time-failed-us


	3. A Game of Hot Chocolate and Donuts I

I had to split this chapter up into 2 parts because it was seriously tooooo long. Hoping for more reviews and follows this time! Comfort food is the best. :) Here we go!

* * *

 **A Game of Hot Chocolate and Donuts (Part I)**

 _I don't know this place_

True to his word, Jason was there the next day to pick Reyna up from the infirmary. To his surprise, she was already awake, and was polishing her dagger.

"Hey, you're awake early," he observed. Reyna looked up, her hand still gripping the dagger. Hearing no answer, Jason continued. "It's only six in the morning."

"Yeah," she agreed, rubbing her eyes. "I couldn't really sleep."

She was already dressed, wearing the shirt and jeans he'd brought her the day before. Her hair was swept into a braid, again, and tossed over her right shoulder. Jason frowned at the clearly tired girl, noticing the dark bags under her eyes. "Nightmare?"

Reyna hesitated. She didn't want him, or anyone, to label her as weak on her first day. She shook her head, averting her gaze back to the dagger.

Jason saw it, though. He understood. "Ready? Let's go. I can't wait to show you all the awesome stuff around camp and in New Rome," he chirped excitedly.

"New Rome? You built Rome in camp?" Reyna's eyes shone with renewed interest. She'd never been to Rome before, and she really wanted to know about her roots. You'd have thought a daughter of a specifically Roman goddess would have visited her native country, but no. Reyna never had a chance to, between the island and the pirates. She shivered, the memory still in her mind from the nightmare.

"Yep! And you'll love it." Reyna looked up at the blond boy, his sky blue eyes full of happiness. She decided to let go of her worries and just be a kid for a while. Sheathing her dagger, she followed Jason as he eagerly ran out of the quiet infirmary, waving to the nurses as he went.

Along the way, Jason's stomach growled. Not a minute later, Reyna's growled too. They looked at each other and laughed. Reyna couldn't remember a time when she felt so light and carefree.

"I'm starving," he complained, slowing down. Reyna was right beside him—they were relatively equally paced at running. "Mm, something smells awesome."

Nose in the air, Reyna almost purred at the smell of muffins and waffles. Something definitely smelled good. The pair continued on towards the middle of camp, passing the principia on their way to the cafeteria.

"Do you only have one adjective for everything?" Reyna teased, weaving through the masses of campers alongside Jason. "Everything's just _awesome_ , isn't it."

They grabbed plates, filling them with muffins and eggs and bacon. Jason loved bacon. It was awesome. Food was awesome.

"You may have a point," he conceded, grinning at her brightly, "but it's good to be optimistic."

The cafeteria was packed full of people. Reyna chewed on her bottom lip, a nervous habit. She was okay with Jason, who'd been by her side for as long as she'd been awake and was fine company too, but all these people… She wasn't especially comfortable when faced with so many new people that she didn't know. Not that she was shy or anything, just… hyperaware and skeptical of unfamiliar surroundings.

Jason was already gone. Noticing Reyna's absence, he turned back, tunneling through larger bodies to find her. When he did spot her, she was sitting almost flat against the wall, scrunching herself into a tiny ball as if she wanted to disappear. Her tray of food sat beside her.

"Reyna," he said softly, kneeling next to her. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Just peachy," she answered, her voice small. Gods she hated how she sounded. Pathetic.

"C'mon, let's get outta here," Jason suggested, clutching her arm and hoisting her up. "We can eat somewhere else. No one can hear each other in here anyway."

They headed outside and found a tree to sit under next to the road. The floor was hard and hot, but it was much calmer, and Reyna liked watching legionnaires go about their daily business without noticing them.

"Wow, you eat light," Jason joked as Reyna nibbled on her muffin and sipped orange juice. He looked down at his own plate, piled high with pancakes and bacon, and felt a little guilty.

Reyna smiled into her juice. "I'm not used to this diet. I used to eat almost nothing—we drank smoothies to keep our figures and ate low-calorie diets. We learned to cook, too, but not for us."

Jason was extremely confused. Who was 'we'? Who was stopping Reyna from eating too much? Why did she need to keep her figure? Not for the first time, he wondered about her mysterious past. He tried suppressing his curiosity. No, asking her questions would not work. He'd need to be patient.

It would be worth it, though. When Reyna could finally trust him, the wait would mean nothing.

Reyna stared into her bottle for a while, calming herself, then looked at him. He probably had lots of things he wanted to ask her. But he didn't, and for that Reyna was extremely glad.

"You can trust me," Jason suddenly said. "If you ever want to tell someone… Then I'm here. Wh-when you're ready, of course," he stuttered.

His eyes were impossibly blue and earnest, sincere. Reyna wanted to believe him. She wanted to relieve herself of the burden she'd carried on her shoulders for too long now. But she couldn't. Not yet. So she just nodded.

Jason nodded back, more to himself than to her. Why'd he have to get deep all of a sudden?

"By the way, what happened in there? Are you…"

Reyna's eyes widened. "Oh, no, I'm not shy or claustrophobic or anything… I was just a little overwhelmed, that's all."

Jason shrugged. "It's not a bad thing to be scared. I'm claustrophobic. Probably comes from living with wolves." He decided to omit the part about being a son of Jupiter. Though Reyna didn't seem the type to label people based on their godly parentage, he didn't want her impression of who he was to be tainted by stereotypes. Jupiter could be a womanizer, a cheater, a jerk—Jason didn't want to have his dad's bad qualities.

She didn't ask.

They ate in silence, occasionally trading glances. When they were done, Jason stood.

"Time for your tour!"

They set off at a moderate pace so that Reyna could take in everything. "Here are the barracks, where we legionnaires sleep," Jason pointed out. "First to Fifth. Least awesome to most awesome."

Reyna hid a smile. "I suppose you're in the First, then."

Jason looked at her in horror. "Hey! Offensive! I'm in Fifth. Ignore what the people say about us—we're not that bad. The First are just uptight snobs. Once you meet Octavian, you'll understand."

Reyna wondered which cohort she'd be put in. Could she choose?

As if he could hear her think, Jason said, "You can choose your cohort. Problem is, they have to choose you first. If all the cohorts want you, then you get the choice. No one wanted me when I first joined. I was a little kid. But they're all jealous now, 'cause Fifth's the best!"

Reyna laughed. "I bet you were Hercules at age four."

"You bet I was," Jason said proudly, chest puffed out. "I was adorable too."

Reyna smiled. "Of course."

They plodded on through the streets of Camp Jupiter. "There's the arena," Jason pointed. "That's where we have training. It's tiring but fun and you'll love it." He finished the sentence, eyeing the glinting dagger at Reyna's side.

She looked lovingly at it. "It was my dad's. He gave it to me when I was young."

"And there's the villas, for the praetors. I wish I could live in one of those. Think about how epic it would be if we threw a party in there."

 _We?_ Reyna brushed the thought away and admired the columns and marblework. "Wow. That must be expensive."

"Probably. Only the best for Roman leaders," Jason agreed with a chuckle.

As Jason showed her around, Reyna found herself becoming fond of her new surroundings. Everything was so neat and orderly, and people were disciplined, on a whole. But it was still so foreign, and big. Too big for her to wrap her head around in one day. She'd need some time to get used to it.

"And finally, we have the Fields of Mars. That's where the legion has its nightly war games. It's _totally_ awesome."

Reyna gaped at the sheer size of the fields. There were some legionnaires building small fake buildings, no doubt preparing for tonight's games. Reyna really wanted to see how they worked. "Isn't it dangerous, though?"

"Yeah, definitely. I mean, we use real weapons and cannons and fireballs. People get hurt all the time. But if you win, it's one of the best feelings ever." Jason remembered the time when he was first over the wall. He'd run away from Hannibal, the fearsome elephant, and had blasted enemies with lightning. His side didn't win, but he himself was victorious.

There were so many new things at camp that Reyna couldn't wait to discover. But first…

"Can we go to New Rome?"

Jason thought, then shrugged apologetically. "I guess we can, but maybe another time. It'll take ages to go through all the stuff there. We could go there on our day off, which is tomorrow, but I have to introduce you to some people. I promised." Reyna agreed. It was starting to get hot anyway, and the sun blinded their eyes and plastered their hair to their foreheads.

"Are there any other places we can eat, though? Apart from the cafeteria." She was starting to get a little hungry. Running around with lots of adrenalin didn't help.

Jason laughed. "Actually, we could go to New Rome for a while… There's much more to eat there."

On the way, the pair passed Terminus. "Oh, don't mind him," Jason said when Reyna looked a little shocked that a god (without arms and legs, in statue form) lived in camp. "He's just grumpy all the time."

Terminus looked angry enough to blast Jason to smithereens. Instead, he huffed, "Just drop your weapons and go away."

They did, and left. Jason threw down his gladius and a coin, for some reason (the girl was surprised at how a coin was supposed to be a weapon). Reyna was uncomfortable at the thought of leaving her beloved dagger, but curiosity overcame her. He led them down cobblestone streets, past citizens, waving occasionally and yelling out a greeting. Reyna wished she could be as at home as Jason was.

"Here we are," he announced, halting in front of a café. It was called Caesar's Café, and was decorated in a very Roman fashion. Reyna immediately loved it. They took a table outside, under the shade of an umbrella.

A waitress came to take their orders. "Hi, Jason," she greeted. "Who's this little lady?"

Jason rolled his eyes. "New friend," he answered.

"I'll have a coffee," Reyna piped up. Jason immediately waved frantically at the waitress.

"No, no, no, she won't. We'll have two hot chocolates and two chocolate donuts." The waitress smiled knowingly and left.

Reyna turned to Jason. "What was that about? I drink coffee, not hot chocolate! It's a million degrees outside and I haven't had coffee in too long!"

"Hey, hey calm down, okay?" the blond put a hand on Reyna's arm, placating her. She sighed. "Just try it. Once. If you don't like it, then you can drink all the coffee you want for the rest of your life and there won't be a single peep from me."

"Fine."

The chocolates came along with the donuts. Reyna hated to admit it, but it smelled _amazing_.

"After you, milady," Jason said, wanting to see her reaction.

Gingerly, Reyna picked up the donut and bit into it. Gods it was delicious. It was chocolatey and sweet and moist and fluffy and gods she needed a second bite. And a third. Yum.

"Now try the chocolate," Jason urged, a hint of smugness in his voice. He could see through her, and Reyna hated it.

She obeyed, taking a sip. _Gods almighty_ it was even better. It was so good words couldn't describe it—like liquid heaven, it melted in her mouth. It was smooth yet had a strong taste, with the perfect ratio of chocolate and milk, and wasn't too sugary or too bitter. She could live her whole life just drinking this. Humming in pleasure, Reyna looked at Jason through eyes half closed with bliss.

He smirked back at her. "I know, right? Who's the best? I'm the best. And what was that? Oh, right. _I told you so_."

Reyna conceded, just this once. "I guess you were right." She smiled as they tucked in.

She had no idea where she was, and no doubt she'd need more time to get the hang of things. But for now, Reyna felt more comfortable than she'd ever felt since she arrived, talking and laughing with Jason while enjoying hot chocolate and donuts.

* * *

Please review! Any comments would be appreciated, even just a few words. Thanks for reading and waiting for me to move my _podex_! :D Love you guys.

time-failed-us


	4. A Game of Hot Chocolate and Donuts II

Hey guys! Sorry for not updating in a week. My stupid Word crashed and I had to get it fixed. Hopefully this makes up for it! :)

* * *

 **A Game of Hot Chocolate and Donuts (Part II)**

Jason was already long finished with his food when Reyna finally looked up at him. He was watching her with a small smile at the edge of his mouth and this look in his eyes that she didn't really understand.

"More?"

Reyna bit her lower lip. Of course she wanted more. But she shouldn't eat so much. Circe had given the girls lectures on eating healthily and how to keep their waists slim. Reyna knew that she didn't need to worry about such trivial things, but it was hard to break habits that had been drilled into her mind for years.

Jason cocked an eyebrow at her as he motioned for the waitress to come. "Two more donuts, please."

Feeling that at least she hadn't encouraged it, Reyna sat back, satisfied. Her gaze scrutinised Jason's features. She chuckled.

"You have chocolate on your face," she replied to Jason's quizzical expression.

Blushing, he snatched up a tissue and wiped at his cheek. "Is it gone now?"

"No," Reyna answered, biting the insides of her cheek to stop the giggles. The chocolate was smeared at the corner of his mouth and there was even a pink sprinkle on his nose. She covered her mouth with a hand, muting the sound of her laughter at Jason's expense as he scrunched his eyebrows together and crossed his eyes, trying to see where it was.

"I can't see it," he complained after more attempts with the tissue. "Is it gone nowwww?"

"No."

Jason pouted and ran a hand through his cropped blond hair, messing it up. Not that it wasn't messy enough already in the first place. Then, his blue eyes lit up. Reyna hadn't known him for long, but she knew that sparkle wasn't a good sign.

"Help me get it off," he urged, thrusting the tissue at her. "Pleeeeease Rey-Rey?"

She quirked a brow at him. "Don't call me that. Seriously."

"Fine. Just help me."

Reyna frowned. "I'll show you where it is." She motioned for him to take the tissue, then guided his wrist to find where the chocolate was. Reyna could feel Jason's eyes on her as she did so, boring holes into her head as he slowly wiped it away.

"Thanks." Reyna nodded in response.

Moments later, their donuts came. This time, Jason slowed down his pace to match Reyna's. He hoped to learn more about her. He didn't have much time alone with her, and he intended to find out as much as possible—in a good way, of course, which meant earning her trust. There was something… different about her that intrigued Jason and left him mystified and even more curious. His wrist tingled from her warm touch, but he brushed it away, focusing on the task.

"I haven't told you about my friends," Jason stated by way of starting conversation.

"Do you have any?"

He playfully glared at her. Reyna looked just a tiny bit smug as she bit into her donut. "Yes I do, _Sassypants_. How about you?"

Reyna's gaze shifted away from him in discomfort. Jason tensed. He'd stepped on thin ice—maybe it was a touchy subject. Noted.

"There are two guys and a girl. We're all in Fifth. Bobby and Dakota are my bros. Homies. Peeps. Basically what you girls call 'BFFs'."

Reyna rolled her eyes. "Stereotypical. Not all girls say things like 'OMG'. I'm a girl, doesn't mean I love pink and know all the different types of shoes and dresses, et cetera."

Jason grinned. "Kidding. That's cool. I'm not really into that stuff either. As you can probably see, I don't need fashion to look good. I was born this way." Reyna rolled her eyes again.

"Anyway," he continued, "We're pretty close with Gwen too. She's nice enough, but she gets scary when we mess around. Hint: if you see Gwen angry at Dakota, get out of there fast. She's especially dangerous around him. Jupiter knows why."

Reyna had to smirk at this. Boys, always so oblivious. On the island, girls were well versed in romance (or in Reyna's case, knew just a little about it to be enough despite not understanding a single word of whatever the newest gossip was). She could still spot obvious signs, though—there was something going on between those two.

"Can you describe them?" Reyna asked curiously. Jason was surprised but glad that she was interested in his life.

Jason pressed his lips together and scrunched his brows up. Reyna assumed this was his 'thinking face'. "Kota's a little big. Not big as in buff, or fat. He's not even that big. Just a little wider than me, I think. We're about the same height. He has curly-ish black hair and green eyes. He likes to get sugar-high or drunk on Kool-Aid. The red kind. Probably 'cause he's a son of Bacchus. No one can stop him. Maybe Gwen—she terrorises him.

"Bobby's shorter and skinny as a stick. He's got dark hair and brown eyes. He's cool, but can be kind of a buzzkill sometimes. He gets freaked easily. For some reason, he's not scared of Hannibal. They have some weird creepy spiritual connection thing that no one really understands."

"Hannibal? Isn't that the ancient warlord?" Reyna looked a bit panicked at the thought of the ghost of an insane, murderous warlord in the camp.

Jason nodded. "Don't worry. It's just the name. Hannibal's our war elephant. He's tame—most of the time." Reyna bit her lip, still looking unsure.

"And finally Gwen. She's a legacy of Venus, but hates being related to any of the Venus girls. She can't stand their gossip and obsession with looking pretty. She's blonde, like me, but a little reddish, and has green eyes. And I already told you, she's sc-a-ry."

Reyna nodded. "They sound nice," she commented. Jason was obviously very fond of his friends.

"Yeah. They are. We stick together 'cause some stuck-ups in the First cohort take it out on us just because we're in Fifth." Jason hated that he and his friends were guilty by affiliation. It wasn't fair that other cohorts disliked them just because of something that happened ages ago.

"So, how are you so close with the praetors?"

She'd picked up on that? Wow. Talk about observation skills. "I've been here a long time, since I was really young. It's unusual for demigods to come to the legion at such a young age, and I couldn't join yet, so… Joe and Maria would sometimes drop in and visit. I remember Joe made me a wooden sword and he'd teach me how to kill monsters under my bed."

"Must've been nice," Reyna said wistfully. Her youth had been the best part of her life. Until her father died.

"It was."

They sat in a comfortable silence, finishing off their delicious donuts and sipping hot chocolate. It was well into the afternoon, and the sun had eased up on its glare. Jason's belly was satisfied. Reyna looked pretty happy too—she nursed her cup as she stared into nowhere, probably remembering something from the past. Sometimes, Jason would do that too, delving into the depths of his mind to try to find answers. The problem was, no matter how hard he tried, the answers just weren't there.

He dropped some denarii down on the table, wiped his mouth (and his face) once more, then looked to his companion. "Come on," he prompted, startling Reyna out of her thoughts. "Someone wants to meet you."

* * *

Jason stopped suddenly at the hallway leading to the infirmary rooms. Reyna stopped with him.

"I had a great time," he said sincerely, smiling at her. "We should do this again."

Reyna smiled back. Jason had been kind to her and seemed sincere. It was a luxury Reyna had not been offered much in her life. Sincerity was hard to find in their world.

"Thank you," she said, touching his shoulder, then immediately retracting her hand as if it burned.

Jason grinned at her action. "You don't have to thank me. I volunteered for this, Reyna, and I enjoyed it. You don't owe me anything."

Warmth spread through her body at his words. She bit her lip, not accustomed to the feeling.

She didn't have much time to enjoy it, though. Jason's eyes widened as he glanced up at the wall clock. "Pluto! She's waiting in your room. Please don't tell her I kept you out. Time got away from me. I should go now. Bye! Have fun!"

He scurried away, waving, leaving Reyna confused. Who was 'she'?

Finally arriving at her room, Reyna took the door handle with one hand and gripped her dagger with the other. Thank the gods she'd gotten it back from Terminus.

Slowly, the door eased open. Piercing green eyes stared back at her.

* * *

If you liked it, please please leave a review or follow! It's greatly appreciated :D

Maybe it's not really plot development, but I'm easing Jason and Reyna into their friendship. Next chapter will bring in some other characters.

time-failed-us


	5. A Game of Acquaintance I

Hey guys! It's been a while. I don't think updates are going to be as frequent from now on, but I'll try. Again, I've split it into two chapters, one for Reyna and one for Jason.

* * *

 **A Game of Acquaintance (Part I)**

 _Don't recognise anybody_

They stared at each other for a while. Reyna's eyes roved over the girl, sharpening when she noticed that the stranger was sitting on her bed. The girl looked back at her, but didn't seem affected by Reyna's stare—she had a mix of intrigue and curiosity in her eyes.

"Hi," the girl finally said, standing to face Reyna. She was a little taller than Reyna, with a lean, athletic build. She had blonde hair tied in a ponytail and wore a kind smile as she stretched out an arm, offering Reyna a handshake. "I'm Gwen."

Reyna noticed that Gwen's arms were lean, yes, but not subtly muscled like hers were. Gwen was fit, but probably didn't have as much combat experience as Reyna had gotten over the last year. Fighting pirates tended to do that to a person. However, it didn't mean that Gwen wasn't able—you didn't need strength to win a fight. No doubt she'd been in this camp for years, and had more training than Reyna had had the chance to get. Another glance told Reyna that she didn't carry any weapons. The gladius that all legionnaires seemed to have wasn't in her belt holster. It lay on the floor to her right, a sign of peace.

Reyna could take Gwen in a fight, she was pretty sure of that. One kick would send the gladius to Reyna's side of the room, putting her between Gwen and the weapon. Then, she'd have the advantage of a knife against nothing.

But Jason had told her about Gwen, and she was apparently his friend. A legacy of Venus, she certainly fit Jason's description—blonde, green eyes, naturally pretty but not trying hard. She seemed friendly enough, and if she could intimidate the boys, then maybe playing nice with Gwen could turn out to be a good thing. Besides, Reyna knew she needed more people on her side. Legions worked best when everyone was on the same page and looked out for each other.

"Hi," Reyna replied, taking Gwen's hand hesitantly.

Gwen smiled again, showing her perfect teeth. "You must be Reyna. I've been wanting to meet you. We haven't gotten a new recruit in a while, especially not one who got bitten by a hellhound! How is the bite, by the way? Is the poison gone yet? Did Jason thank you for saving his life? I mean, I always complain about that boy but I'm really glad you saved his _podex_. If it was Kota or Bobby, well… things would've ended worse."

Reyna looked taken aback by Gwen's sudden outburst. Gwen noticed this and immediately took a breath. "Sorry," she said to the dark-haired girl. "I'm just really excited about having another girl in our group. I've been the only one for too long, and trust me—it gets tiring."

Reyna gave her a small smile. She didn't have many friends on the island. Those girls were too obsessed with their own reflections sometimes. The blonde girl who showed up out of the blue with the raven-haired boy was the only one who seemed different. Sadly, she was too different and ended up destroying the whole island. So much for making friends. Gwen was nice, though. Maybe a little too talkative for her taste, but she deserved a chance.

"I guess so." Reyna never had much experience with boys—before the mysterious black-haired boy, before the pirates, before Jason, they'd all been guinea pigs. "But to answer your question—well, questions—" Gwen laughed at this—"Jason thanked me already, and the bite's doing fine." She peeled back the gauze that covered her damaged flesh. It was still bloody and there were parts where her skin had been torn apart and the flesh showed through, but the greenish tint was gone. "The poison's mostly gone now. I'm waiting for the skin to grow back."

Gwen's face was contorted into a wince and a sickly expression. "Wow, that's… nasty," she said, gulping. "That's gonna take a while to heal. You should change the bandage. Here, I'll help."

Reyna sat on the bed as Gwen carefully poured some nectar onto the wound, fingers trembling. "Does it hurt?" she asked, the cup still in her hands. "Maybe I should stop."

Breathe, Reyna told herself, breathe. It stung like a hundred nails poking into her skin, but it was for the best. Trying to conceal the pain, she shook her head. Gwen continued to pour the nectar, then cleaned it up with a clean piece of gauze. Finally, she wrapped it tightly with more gauze. Blood still seeped through. Gwen looked positively sickened as she glanced at the blood drenched fabric, throwing it away.

Reyna examined her work. "Nice," she commented. Gwen smiled proudly.

"We have to take basic first-aid training. Blood and infections disgust me, but oh well." She sat down next to Reyna. "So, let's talk. I see you've met Jason."

Reyna nodded. "He showed me around today." Gwen smiled.

"I'm glad. Sometimes the boys can be annoying, but they always have good intentions. Most of the time." Reyna remained silent, so Gwen continued. "I'm a legacy of Venus. How about you?"

"Daughter of Bellona," she replied without hesitation. If there was one thing in the world Reyna was truly proud of, it was her parentage. Bellona was a war goddess, a strictly Roman one with no other equivalent. She wasn't an A-grade goddess, but Romans had to pay respects to her before battles on foreign lands. To her, her mother was what Reyna wanted to be—a strong warrior. A Roman warrior.

Gwen's eyes lit up. "Yay! We haven't had one of those in a long time! I mean, not like you're an object or anything. But that's awesome."

Reyna laughed. "Jason says 'awesome' a lot, doesn't he?"

"Yeah," Gwen agreed. "And now I say it too." She sighed in mock exasperation. "What these boys do to me."

"Is it… hard? Being a girl, yet having to do the same things as boys do?"

Gwen frowned. "Yes, and no. The centurions and trainers expect the same level of work from all of us. They don't treat girls differently, and I love that. But we do sometimes work on different things. The boys are taught how to use strength and height and weight to their advantage, and girls are trained to be quicker, more agile, and so on."

Reyna nodded. "Good. I was hoping to hear that."

"On the other hand, there's pressure. From yourself, you know? To perform."

Reyna nodded again. She understood that better than others. It was horrible in her previous life—the segregation of men and women that Circe encouraged. It made Reyna feel as though the only way to be safe was to get rid of all men, because they were evil and strong. She knew it wasn't true. She was glad to be away from all of that nonsense.

"What was horrible?" Gwen's voice startled Reyna out of her thoughts. She must've accidentally said something out loud.

"Nothing," she answered, avoiding Gwen's gaze. "Just something that happened before."

"Before what?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Reyna's tone grew sharp as she stood, pulling her knife out of its sheath and inspecting it. Her fingers ran absentmindedly up and down the slight ridge in the middle of the blade where the two edges on either side converged.

Gwen's eyes widened in horror. Was Reyna going to kill her? But they'd been getting along quite well… Maybe it was her curiosity. Gods, that must've been where the saying came from! Curiosity killed the cat. Gwen did love cats.

Trying to move slowly and quietly, Gwen shifted off the bed. Her fingers inched towards her gladius, which still lay on the floor. Just as her fingers reached the hilt, a foot slammed down on the blade. With a gasp, Gwen looked up. Reyna stood over her, a dangerous look in her eyes.

"I'm—I'm sorry for asking," Gwen said hurriedly. The gladius was trapped under Reyna's sneaker. Without replying, she bent down and flipped the hilt into her other palm.

"It's a nice sword," Reyna stated. "A little too light for me, though. The balance isn't entirely perfect. Is this a standard issue?"

Gwen nodded, still speechless. Reyna handed the weapon back to her without meeting her eyes. "I'm not comfortable talking about my past."

Gwen took the sword with shaking fingers, but steeled her features. "I'm sorry about whatever happened," she said. She hoped that all Reyna was was a girl who hated her past. As mysterious as she was, killing Gwen wasn't on her agenda. Hopefully.

"The past is the past. What happened, happened. 'Sorry' won't change anything." Her tone was terse as she slipped the blade back into its sheath.

"Maybe I should go now," Gwen suggested. "You seem like you need some space."

Reyna gave her a grateful look. "It was nice meeting you. Thanks… for patching me up."

"No problem," Gwen smiled back. "If you need any more help, you know where to find me. And I'm sorry again about asking. I won't say anything about it from now on."

"I appreciate that," Reyna replied. Suddenly, Gwen stepped closer and wrapped her arms loosely around Reyna's shoulders. Stiffening, she had no time to react before Gwen let go of the hug and left with a wave.

Reyna stared after her newest acquaintance with confusion, wondering what they were.

Meanwhile, back in the barracks…

* * *

Did you like it? More of Reyna's past will be coming through bit by bit... And there's angry/frustrated Reyna here. I hope I did Gwen justice. She seems curious and kind and excited. Dunno though.

On the other hand, if any of you readers are in the Stitchers fandom... Then please PM or comment because Camsten is my newest obsession xD yay!

Review as always! Thanks to all of you who left one and made my day with your kindness!

time-failed-us :)


	6. A Game of Acquaintance II

Hey guys! School's starting, so I had to finish this up for you. I'm so excited. School is the best (because my friends are there)! This chapter is dedicated to my awesome readers, especially iamawesome237. Thank you so much for reviewing, all of you. It means so much.

* * *

 **A Game of Acquaintance (Part II)**

"Look who's back."

Within a second, Jason's nimble fingers had delved into his pocket, fished out IVLIVS, and flipped it in the air while mentally transmitting a command for a sword to it with the ease and fluidity of years of practice. Upon recognising the familiar voice, he lowered the glowing golden gladius, cursing his reflexes but feeling a little smug inside as he casually twirled the sword in his hand, turning it back into a seemingly harmless ancient coin and depositing it into his pocket once again.

"Woah woah woah. No need to get all intense, bro."

"Yeah, can't a brother greet another brother without risking his life?"

Jason rolled his eyes good-naturedly, grinning at the antics of his two goofy best friends. Flopping backwards on his bunk and landing with a satisfying _oomph_ , he rolled over to look at the two other boys. He was surprised to see that they were giving him suspicious glances.

"What's with the looks, guys?"

"Save the act for someone who cares. Where were you this morning from dawn to dusk?" Dakota challenged, shoving his face right in front of Jason's and making the blond uncomfortable.

"I was with—"

Jason's reply was interrupted by Bobby. "I KNEW IT! He's cheating on us, Kota. I told you so. Now give me my denarii!"

"Not so fast…" Dakota warned. "Jason wasn't cheating on us, he was ratting us out for that prank we pulled on Octavian last week! He was with the praetors, and knowing those two, they probably gave him a moratorium. Tell on us, and _he_ gets off scot-free."

Jason facepalmed. "Kota, do you even know what moratorium means?"

"No, but it sounds good."

"I think you mean ultimatum," Jason corrected. Dakota narrowed his eyes, wagging a finger at his friend.

"There's no getting out of this. Tell us where you were, with the praetors."

"I think what Dakota means is, Tell us where you were, with your stupid _new friends_ who are _soooo_ much cooler than your loyal buds from the Fifth. Cheater."

"He was with the praetors, weren't you, Jason?"

"New friends."

"Praetors!"

"New friends!"

"GUYS!" Jason shouted, getting their attention. He angrily slapped Dakota's offending finger out of the way. "I wasn't with the praetors, or… _cheating_ on you, okay? Both of you lose the bet and I get the money."

"No fair!"

Jason shut his friends up with an ' _are you serious?'_ glare. "I was with Reyna."

"Ooooh, _Reeeeeynaaaaa_ ," Bobby cooed, nudging Dakota for support.

"Does Jason have a new _girrrrrrlfrieeeeeend_?" Dakota pitched in, making kissy faces while Bobby made a deformed heart around Dakota's head with his arms.

"Guys, stop it! Seriously! It's not funny." Jason could feel his cheeks heating up. It was kind of embarrassing. He couldn't help but imagine it, though. Reyna, his girlfriend. What would that be like?

Just as quickly, he forced the thought out of his mind. No way would she ever say yes to that, he thought. And besides, she wasn't really his type. Reyna was way too uptight and intense, and there were too many secrets.

 _She's pretty and you know it_ , a nagging voice in Jason's head reminded. _She can be fun, and nice, and tough. Besides, you've only known her for a couple days. Isn't it too early to judge?_

Stupid naggy conscience voice thing.

"Dude, stop that! It's creepy, and it's starting to scare me."

Jason was brought out of his thoughts and realised he was hitting his forehead repeatedly with his palm. Kota and Bobby were staring at him like he had a weird problem. He didn't blame them.

"Sorry, guys. Look, me and Reyna are kinda friends, I guess. She's… not normal. She's really tough to understand, and has these incredibly hard-to-break-down walls. So no, she's not my girlfriend."

"Aww," Dakota and Bobby chorused, shoulders sagging and looking so dejected Jason almost felt sorry for them.

"Hey," Dakota said, brightening after a swig of Kool-Aid. "That means I still might be the first one of us to get a girlfriend!"

"Yeah, if you mean first as in after me," Bobby snorted, slapping his curly-haired friend on the shoulder.

"I'm still in the running, right?" Jason smirked. "C'mon, I mean, look at _this_. Who would say no?"

"Me," Kota answered, wrinkling his nose. "I don't swing that way."

Jason groaned. "Does it matter? What happens will happen."

"Yeah. Gwen will come around."

Two pairs of wide eyes whipped to stare at Bobby, who looked confused. "Why are you looking at me?"

"Gwen? Gwen? Really, Bobby? Me and Gwen. No way. Never. Gonna. Happen," Dakota emphasised with a disgusted look.

Jason was unconvinced. "Yeah, she hates Kota's guts. Where'd you get that idea anyway?"

"Woah. Hold up. I can make her fall in love with me, bro. The problem is, Gwen just isn't what I'm looking for."

Now it was Dakota's turn to be stared at like he was insane. "She's way out of your league," Jason said, laughing. "If anything, you'd try to ask her out and get re-jec-ted!" Bobby sang in agreement.

"Fine. Whatever," Dakota huffed, miffed that his friends were ganging up against him. "Let's get back to the point. What's going on with you and the new girl?"

"Reyna," Jason said, his tone edged. "She has a name."

"Right, and you were hanging out with her instead of going to training and almost dying during Deathball _why_ , exactly?"

"The praetors put me up to it, okay? I'm responsible for showing her around and making sure she's comfortable. It's a big step from normality to camp, you guys should know."

"I guess so," Bobby shrugged. He'd had a rough time getting used to camp. It was so different from his old life, and he was torn between two worlds. He knew that having friends to support you helped a huge amount, and he was glad Dakota and Jason were there. "Let's let this one slide."

"When do we meet her?" Dakota asked.

"Not yet," Jason replied, "but soon, hopefully. She's a bit of a flight risk. I don't want her to get flustered by, well, you."

The boys shrugged, but could not disagree.

* * *

Soon, it was lights out. Jason stared up at the ceiling, thinking about the day. Reyna was really cool, and he loved hanging out with her. She may be icy, but he didn't doubt that once she warmed up to him, they'd be good friends.

 _Or more… Ya know ya want it._

If asked, Jason would deny that that thought ever even crossed his mind. Reyna though, she was something. He couldn't wait to learn more about her mysterious history. He envisioned helping her during training, showing her the armoury, more hot chocolate and donut trips. She was definitely something.

Jason smiled to himself, her thick black braid emblazoned in his mind as he started to count Roman emperors. Call it weird, but demigods did _not_ count sheep.

* * *

Reyna lay on the hospital cot, shifting in her new pyjamas. The pants were hard and itchy, and she had a hard time getting used to the softness of the bed. It was by no means comfortable, but compared to the hard dirt ground she had gotten used to sleeping on in past months, this was too luxurious.

Finally giving up on sleep after tossing and turning so much the sheets fell off the bed, Reyna sat up and decided to go outside. Fresh air would be nice, and a peaceful walk would help her calm her racing mind. It was dark outside, which meant she'd probably be alone. It was after lights out, after all, and she knew for a fact that Romans weren't rule-breakers. At least, they weren't trained to be.

Slipping on sneakers and gripping her dagger, Reyna tiptoed out of the room and slipped silently out of the infirmary. The dim glow of Imperial Gold guided her way. Moonlight washed over the trees and maroon cabins, while crickets chirped in the distance. The camp was breathtaking at night.

* * *

So... Hope you liked it! Next chapter will be much more interesting, and I guarantee you'll love it. So much Jeyna, too many feels. A shoutout to PJOFairyTailFan, for sending me the kindest PM ever and being awesome. Read her fics, they're great and JEYNA! :)

Review! Thanks again for the ones you left on the last chapter. I really don't mind if it's just a short sentence. They brighten my day. :D

To those of you who are starting school, good luck for the next school year! I know I'm pumped!

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	7. A Game of Insomnia I

Helloooo my lovely readers! It's been quite a while, and I really apologise for that. Sadly, I have school and tests and a PIANO EXAM, which takes up my time. However, I do promise that whenever I have a long weekend, or holidays, I will work on my stories, okay?

Also, I'm writing a one-shot that you can look forward to! I'm not sure when it will be posted, seeing as I'm still not done, but I'm halfway through so watch out for that!

* * *

 **A Game of Insomnia (Part I)**

Jason's body was tired, but his mind raced on, thinking about anything and everything as he jumped from one thought to another. Soon, he was playing a game of word association with himself, but that just got too weird too fast.

Julius Caesar—Roman—gods—Jupiter—Reyna (not that he thought she was a goddess, he was just curious about her godly parent was all)

Reyna—legionnaire—cohort—loyalty—soldier—strong—Reyna

Reyna—girl—confusing—girls—pretty—dark hair—braid—Reyna

Reyna—mysterious—secret—curiosity—cat—meow—claws—deadly—Reyna

And so on, until the strings of thoughts ended mostly with Reyna and weirded Jason out. He was twelve, for gods' sake. He was allowed to be immature and shy away from his feelings.

He groaned, realising after almost half an hour of fruitless attempts to sleep that his ADHD was preventing him from doing so and would probably continue to throughout the night. Tomorrow was Reyna's Choosing ceremony. Well, not really—Jason just loved Harry Potter.

Sighing and deciding not to waste any more time, he scrambled out of bed as quietly as possible and padded to the door, making sure that his trusty magical gold coin was in his pocket. Pulling on some sneakers, he surreptitiously snuck out, instinctively darting behind a bush to survey his surroundings. Not a soul stirred, as it was after lights out, and everyone was supposed to be in their cabins. A breeze blew past, ruffling Jason's blond hair and making him pull his warm hoodie closer around his torso. Realising then that he would stick out like a sore thumb with his head of bright blond hair, he quickly pulled his hoodie up. Now ready, Jason set off into the night with a destination already in mind.

Moving with surety, he swiftly ran and ducked behind trees and bushes. Of course, in theory there shouldn't have been people around, but one never knew—if he got caught, the punishment would be severe. He'd probably have to clean out unicorn manure. Jason shuddered at the thought. You might have thought that unicorn poop was rainbow and sparkly, but noooooooo. It was black and disgusting.

Just then, he glimpsed a figure. It was dark, silhouetted by the eerie moonlight. The figure walked on the side of the path, not seeming to care about other people. All legionnaires knew of the consequences of breaking the rules—walking as plain as day would not be something a demigod would do. Knowing this, Jason figured that this person wasn't a Roman—it must be a trespasser, or some kind of humanoid monster!

"Show yourself, monster! By the gods, I will not let my friends be slaughtered in their sleep! And how in the name of Pluto did you get into the boundaries, by the way?"

There was a small yelp as the tip of Jason's gladius touched the monster/person's skin. The thing turned around.

"The question is, why are you pointing your stupid sword at me?" Jason's eyes widened as he recognised the smooth, yet irritated voice. Reyna's dark orbs stared at him, brows scrunched up in annoyance. Jason felt a warm blush creeping up his neck.

"Uhm, er… Reyna?" he stuttered. "Sorry about that. I thought…"

"Yes, I am aware of what you thought," she snapped, cutting him off. "But in what world do I look like a monster? Should I be offended, or do you ambush all your friends like that and threaten to slice their heads off?"

Jason raised his brows. "So, we're friends now?"

"Argh!" Reyna groaned in distress. "You're missing the point!"

The blond only chuckled as her braid hit his face while she whipped around. "Okay, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. It was an honest mistake—no legionnaires should be out at night, so I figured it would either be a very daring person or a monster."

"Oh," was her only answer before she shoved her hands into her pockets and turned away once again. But before she could get far, fingers gripping her elbow stopped her mid-step.

"Hey, walk with me?" Jason asked softly. Reyna slowed her pace so he could catch up. His sky blue eyes lit up, reflecting the sheen of the moon, giving them a darker, mysterious glow that sent mini shivers down the length of her spine and made the air crackle with static.

She strolled beside him, giving silent agreement when she let him pull her into the trees to conceal themselves. "You won't tell on me, will you," she said, more of a statement than a confirmation question. "Because if you do, I have my knife with me, and you don't want to feel what I can do with it."

Jason grinned. "I wouldn't dream of it."

Reyna smiled briefly back, the quirk of her lips disappearing as soon as it appeared.

They walked up and down, making sure to stay in the concealment of trees and shrubs. Reyna had decided to pull her hood up as well. It was getting cold as they moved deeper and deeper into the night.

Reyna shivered a little, though her face showed no signs of being affected at all.

Jason noticed and wanted to give her his hoodie out of gentlemanliness, though he never did because she would probably think he was trying to make a move on her and get weirded out and never talk to him again.

They had been walking for about ten minutes when Reyna finally asked the question.

"Where are we going?"

Jason smirked, an enigmatic, intriguing little thing that made Reyna momentarily lose her train of thought.

"You'll see," he replied mysteriously. "You'll see." Reyna huffed indignantly, and they continued walking.

A few minutes later, the girl once again frowned and nudged Jason lightly. "Are we there yet?"

Once again, there was that little smirk. "Almost," Jason whispered. "Almost."

"Hey, stop repeating short phrases!" his companion berated. "You may think you sound cool and all, but in reality you just sound like an old, schizophrenic man."

"Alright," Jason agreed. Reyna nodded in approval.

A moment later, he dared to speak again. "Alright." Reyna's sharp gaze snapped to the blond, who was trying to stifle his giggles. She poked him sharply in the ribs, nailing a spot that experience had taught her especially hurt. Jason's eyes bulged out of his head as he bent over, clutching his chest.

"Okay, got it. No repeating. But _ow_! You gotta teach me how to do that to shut Kota up."

They reached a small hill in the midst of the thin woods, where the trees seemed to separate to form a narrow path. Everything seemed to light up with a silvery glow, making the small flowering buds seem like mini twinkling lights. Reyna couldn't help but gape at the sight. Was this really the Roman demigods' reality?

"Come on, we're really close," Jason tugged on her sleeve. With slow steps, unwilling to leave what was probably the closest to Elysium that Reyna had ever laid eyes on, she followed an excited Jason along the path that led up the hill.

A short trek uphill was a piece of cake for the fit, young demigods, and they now stood in front of a beautifully yet simply welded black metal gate.

"Are you ready?" Jason asked playfully. Reyna, rolling her eyes, reached through the bars and unlocked the gate from within, pushing it open.

And wow, was she not ready for what greeted them on the other side. It was a garden, and it was serene and beautiful while being wild and untamed. In fact, it was the wildest garden Reyna had ever witnessed, with flowers blooming all over the place and vines snaking up the boundary fence and grass sprouting up everywhere like a carpet of green. Everything seemed to have a mind of its own, and the butterflies and birds that probably came here in the morning were all asleep, tucked away in their dens. All that remained untouched by the untamed nature was a path laid of worn grey stone, the many times that people had walked over it giving it a smoothness in the centre amid the natural ruggedness.

As if in a trance, Reyna slowly stepped onto the first stone, slowly and carefully making her way along the path, absorbing anything and everything that her eyes could see and her ears could hear and her nose could smell. It smelled of morning dew that lingered beyond its time; it smelled of budding flowers giving out their light, sweet scent; it smelled of tree bark laced with the freshness of grass.

And as they walked, the best was yet to come, for at the end of the path stood a huge willow tree with a bench made out of metal that was clearly supposed to be painted white but was now chipped and flaking underneath it, and beside it was another towering oak tree with branches that sprouted mighty high and branches that drooped until they almost reached the floor, but no quite.

"So, what d'ya think?" Jason grinned, watching Reyna's awe-filled expression as he gracefully hopped onto the lowest oak branch and perched there.

"Wow, it's—it's just so, so beautiful," Reyna replied, her voice barely above a whisper as if she was afraid to break the spell.

Jason chuckled quietly. "Yeah, that was basically my reaction when I first saw it," he said, reminiscing. "Welcome to the Garden of Bacchus."

Reyna smiled at him, a full one this time that lasted for a second before disappearing again. "The Garden of Bacchus," she repeated to herself.

"No repeating," Jason reminded cheekily. Reyna ignored him, continuing her perusing of the area.

" _The Garden of Bacchus._ "

* * *

Hope this made up for my absence. I seriously can't wait for you guys to see the story I'm writing now. Not sure yet if it will turn out well, but my brain is pretty much exploding from studying and writing for my English GCSE coursework, so... Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter! Next one will be fluffy and adorable ;)

Don't forget to leave a review! Thank you for the ones you left on the last chapter, by the way. One of you said that my writing made you happy—well, your review made me happy :) keep doing what you guys do.

And does anyone else miss PJO? I seriously am suffering from lack of Jeyna and Percabeth in my life. If only Uncle Rick would write a prequel series to HoO that centred upon Camp Jupiter. Jeyna feels, anybody? :3

time-failed-us


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